Corporate America has Nothing on these Two Toddlers!

The Struggle is Real

Ok I love this saying it just cracks me up! My siblings and I use it often when referring to just about anything that affects us as adults. You know making creative dinners, being a disciplinary to our kids when that’s the worst part of being a parent, when jobs have us pulled in more directions than we know what to do! I’m sure all of you have said or felt this at one point or another? The struggle for me clearly is sitting myself down and sharing my struggles with all of you! Things have been absolutely bananas over here.

When the kids started school and S started full day and K started half days I had so many amazing plans! I was going to have all this free time for myself that I wasn’t going to know what to do with myself! Well that is a total joke! I find myself accomplishing less. I had planned to run daily or at least three days; nope isn’t happening. Planned to make one day for just working on our business; that’s not happening. I also thought I would have the cleanest house you could imagine without extra hands messing everything up three steps behind me; umm now they are just a few hours behind me doing it! Last I thought I will be hanging out at the local coffee shop with my girlfriends discussing all the things are little ones had us stressed about over the days up to our coffee clutch; this I have completely mastered some times its alone but do you know how enjoyable it is to go into a coffee shop ALONE and get a delicious pumpkin spice latte and not share it! I do have to say other things have come in to play in which my “other” plans haven’t quite happened. Most of these things have been positive with a few negatives. But no one says being a wife, a mom or business owner was easy or always going to be lollipops and gum drops!

First things first being a wife…We’ve touched on this before Joe has crazy hours and the biggest heart of anyone I know. He wants to help everyone from the smallest things such as offering to build a barn wood partition wall to big things like renting a lift to try and help a client fix a problem on their home that a different masonry company created. Then there are the things I require you know be home at a time that the kids can enjoy you before bed. Dad reads books way better than mom does! Then I have questions about the business. Usually at this point I’m not sure he’s even coherent as exhaustion is on strong! But there is one new thing we incorporated into our family. It is the addition of Hello Fresh being delivered to our door each Tuesday. This has changed our life in a few ways. The biggest pertaining to Joe and I is we are having date nights. Yes, I have been cooking our meals so it is ready when he will get home. This way we can sit down together and talk about the kids, work, life just as we do when we go to a restaurant and spend triple the amount of money. For the kids yes it has pushed dinner back for them on some of the nights and also has them in the kitchen cooking with me! If it is something I know they will be in udder disgust over I plan accordingly by cooking something else for them weather it be chicken or pasta. The overall experience has been very positive for our family. So I do recommend trying Hello Fresh out! Now let’s talk being mom…

I wish I could say things have been easy but until last week the mom role was quite challenging. I was struggling with a VERY strong willed little girl that was challenging everything. Meltdowns over small things were happening daily and some days multiple times. Going wild when she was asked to do anything from take her bath to eat dinner to lastly homework. S is a very smart kid and she kept telling me about things at school but most ended with “I’m Bored”. I had to do something quick as Joe was ready to seek outside help and honestly I was at my wits end. After speaking to a few people I learned of the Love and Logic methods. I went to the library and checked out the book that seemed to pertain to what we were going through. The biggest change in our home was the removal of ipads. Yes, our kids were turning into raging lunatics that’s lives were being controlled by mind craft and youtube! As discussed with my brother my kids were suffering from the ipad hangover. They NEEDED it to feel content, they just needed to see one more how to video or build one more room. If they didn’t get it they were total wackadoos! At school they have started a color behavior chart which in speaking with S’s teacher we have begun at home for both kids. Ipads were just reintroduced this past weekend for a short time. Lastly, I have used the love and logic options method. So far both kids are making the right choice. Kids like choices as they like to feel like they are the ones in control. It’s such an easy concept in almost every situation I give them two options; they have to choose one. I will say I have not finished the book yet but the bits and pieces I have been using I think are so easy and I wish I would have started them years ago. Oh well better late then never, right?! I’m happy to report S has ended each day at school in either purple or blue which are the two highest behavior options!

Last lets talk about being a business owner. This time I’m not talking about my husband! Mom and I have been full swing with finishing furniture. We were just asked to sell our items in a new shop near me. Last week I was hired to come to a clients house and teach her how to refinish her 16 person dining room table! We have brought my dad on as part of our team too! Dad has done a beautiful cedar headboard which I finished with chalk paint and light distressing. He also has built a few couch/entry way tables for clients. Next endeavor will be for him to do some night stands! I truly think he is loving it. He and my mom are retired and this gives my dad something to do which he loves and also make some extra money! We all loved to be appreciated and my dad hearing the wonderful feedback of those that have bought his stuff has been great! Mom and I have been working on a few things. I unfortunately have been sick with a few different things. My migraines have come back in full force which have had me in bed for a week at a time resulting in an upcoming neurology appointment. I went in to have a better look and hopefully remove any endometriosis found. Which I was diagnosed with a year ago. My results came back that they were wrong and I didn’t in fact have endometriosis so I had a urology appointment this past week which we did discover that I have Interstitial Cystitis which is the cause of almost all of my abdominal pain as well as overactive bladder. Hope with meds we will have luck in getting this under control. We are giving it a month then we will move to the next steps. Lastly, I was moving furniture with my mom yesterday and lifted a heavy piece up which provided the pop in my back and I fell over immediately. ER doctor told me thankfully nothing is broken I pulled it and its spasming which is causing me to not be able to walk upright. They gave me two shots a pill and sent me on my way. With this last little hiccup I’m thinking I will take this week off from rehabbing anything; or maybe just do some things while sitting😁

Well it’s been far too long and I promise not to keep you waiting to hear from me again! I look forward to showing you the new dressers we are doing as well as end tables and holiday items! Oh ya my good friend and I are doing a vendor fair in November and mom and I were asked to participate in one December 1st! So the holiday juices are flowing and you will be the firsts to enjoy all we have come up with!! Until then have a wonderful Monday and remember lift with your legs not your back! Cheers🍷